Blog

31

Dec2011

The new year is an excellent time to begin a daily Bible reading plan or to resume one if you did this in years past but fell short in recent months. Providence Church is offering a great plan that takes us through the New Testament and many parts of the Old Testament as well. It should

25

Dec2011

Now that Christmas Day is over with presents opened and garbage cans filled with discarded paper and boxes, what are we to do? It’s winter and that means it’s cold outside (usually). Not only that, but the days of sunlight are the shortest they’ll be all year and darkness comes early now. So what should we

7

Dec2011

Every time the Christmas season rolls around, two very different kingdoms always collide. It happens every time. One kingdom is earthly and temporal. The other Kingdom is heavenly and eternal. The king of the earthly realm is “self” along with its frenzied desires for temporal gain. The King of the heavenly realm is God and the

25

Nov2011

Before Thanksgiving we were considering what James wrote in James 1:26. Look at verse 26 again… “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” (James 1:26, ESV) What does James mean by saying this? The person who trusts in religious piety sooner

20

Nov2011

At this time of year it’s natural to think about the virtue of giving thanks to God. On the surface, it sounds so easy. Perhaps we think of Thanksgiving as the most “tame” and harmless of all holidays with little at stake (except perhaps that of overeating!). But Oh, how mistaken we would be! As

9

Nov2011

True Christianity is not merely affiliating with a certain church or denomination. It’s really about what God has done in your heart through faith in Jesus Christ. James talks about “pure religion” in James 1:26-27. Belief shows itself in action. True religion is a matter of the heart toward God, not a rigorous adherence to

24

Oct2011

This year, Monday, October 31 marks a significant date in the Christian calendar. It has to do with an Augustinian monk in Germany and the recovery of the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for salvation. 494 years ago on October 31, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to

13

Oct2011

As we’ve been looking carefully at what Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:8-15 about the differing roles of men and women in the public gathering of the church, it raises some interesting questions. Let’s clarify what this passage is teaching and what it permits and prevents. To begin with, the word translated “men”

7

Oct2011

As we move into October and prepare for winter, I’m reminded that reformation season is in full bloom at our church. I love this time of year! On the last Sunday of October (this year it’s October 30th), we observe Reformation Sunday as a church. We do this because of what the Protestant Reformation means

23

Sep2011

Now that our new Providence website has launched, I wanted to write a brief note about how grateful we are for all the hard work that went into this production. The improved functions and navigability of this website will allow us to reach more people with God’s Word. This is the chief way we glorify